English Learners: Struggling CT Schools Ignore a Proven Path

By Jacqueline Rabe Thomas / CT Mirror

When it came time for Aracelis Hidalgo to enroll her two sons in school, it became clear that her local public school in Bridgeport would not be embracing Spanish – the only language she and her children understood.

Instead, her sons were put into English-only classes and given some extra tutoring. School announcements were sent home in English, and no translators were available to help her communicate with teachers.

“It shouldn’t be this way,” Hidalgo said through a translator. Her Spanish-speaking daughter, who will start school in the fall, sat on her lap. “I wish the schools would have both languages.”

The family’s experience is common. English-only classes with added supports is the primary approach in Connecticut public schools to helping students learn English – and it is producing dismal outcomes.

In Bridgeport, only 47 percent of the English learners receiving language supports showed any overall progress on English proficiency tests during the 2013-14 school year, the last year for which the state tracked data. In Hartford, which enrolls more English learners than any other Connecticut district, 46 percent showed progress.

Over the last two school years, only one-third of English learners met the state’s target for improvement on another key measure – the standardized English assessment test all students take. The State Department of Education says English learners should improve their performance on that test by at least 3 percent each year.

For Connecticut – where one of every 10 public school students speaks Spanish as his or her primary language – academic achievement gaps between Hispanic students .. FOR READ MORE CLICK HERE